The Crystal Isle
'Cultural background: '''Mainly Tarigani, with multiple Crystal Isle specificities. '''Language: '''Crystal-style Tarigani, Tarigani, Yunjin (in limited enclaves) '''Religious influences: ' The Path of the Spirits and Ancestor worship '''Population: '''Fairly high and concentrated in large city-ports along the coast. '''Original settlement: '''A few hundred years prior to the Imperial Conquest by Tarizoku settlers who were fleeing religious persecution. The first Imperial settlements came after the Imperial conquest in the 15th century. '''Major exports: '''Ships, canons, coal, lumber, seafood '''Major imports: '''Iron and other metals, grain, meat Pre-Imperial history and Imperial Invasion The Crystal Isle had long been a thorn in the Empire side. The population was, originally, part of the Tarizoku tribes, which were integrated by the Empire early in its history, but they never joined the Empire, keeping to themselves on their island, isolated from the mainland by the dangerous ocean. As time went by, the Crystal Isle population began growing and developing on their own, and while some of the basic cultural elements of the tarigani were still there, they had become their own people. The Empire was happy to ignore the Crystal Isle until the early 9th century, when the Islanders began raiding coastal cities and naval trade routes. While those attacks were limited and targeted nobody in particular, the potential threat it meant to the Empire grew over time, until it was no longer simply a nuisance but became an actual issue. Early military expeditions against the Crystal Isle began in full around the 13th century, culminating with a full-scale invasion during the late 14th and early 15th century. The Islanders having much better ships and having them armed with primitive canons was a huge advantage against the Imperial forces, and the island itself being covered in forests and mountains made things difficult when the actual military landed and needed to push towards the capital. The war would have been much longer if not for the schemes of the Shogun and his bureaucratic allies. Using two of the Emperor’s daughters, along with the Shogun’s own heir and the High Minister’s adoptive daughter, they created alliances with warlords and pirate lords on the island, which undermined the Pirate King’s own forces. The Shogun then promised the Pirate King’s rival, of the Shibusame family, the governor’s duty after the island would be under imperial control. After realizing that most of his allies were turning on him, the Pirate King simply surrendered to the Shogun’s army, imploring his mercy, which was given in form of being named the Imperial High Admiral on the Shogun’s counsel. While some of the invasion force was quite frustrated of the final result, as they were not granted lands, titles and not were allowed to loot due to the Shogun’s obsession with the Bushido, the locals were overjoyed with the ways things turned out, as they simply integrated the Celestial Order, with the captains and their crew becoming new members of the samurai caste. The transition was nowhere as peaceful as it sounds and rebellious spirits within the islanders was quite common, but compared to harsh occupation and military repression, things were a lot easier than expected. Climate and Geography The Crystal Isle is fairly big, as far as a landmass separate from the mainland, and the sea between the Imperial mainland and the island is actually quite calm, with minimal sea lizards, giant sharks or monstrous whale activities. The island itself is very hilly, with quite a few mountains and even a semi-active volcano, with the majority of the population residing in city-ports of various sizes, usually ruled by a council of captains, now member of the samurai caste rather than pirates. In-land cities, like Kaizoku-Ou No Machi, the former capital of the island, are usually heavily fortified and made to resist invasion, while the port-towns might have coastal defenses, with canons and other siege weapons, but very rarely have fortification pointing towards the inside of the island. Temperatures range from just a bit under freezing during winter to fairly warm during the summer, and is generally very humid. The uninhabited region of the island is covered with thick forests and fruit groves, where cherry, peach and plum trees grow naturally. Some more recent immigrants have started building rice farms in some areas, along with using yamabunjin expertise in mountain farming for rice and corn, but those local farms are still quite rare. Military Presence A lot of the Islander military is based around the navy, and as such, military doctrine in the region is formed around this. The 2nd and 19th Imperial Legion is permanently stationed on the island to maintain peace and order, and under their command is the 2nd Imperial Fleet, which is equipped with some of the most modern boats built to Islander standards. As a precaution, the 2nd fleet and the Imperial Legion command is composed strictly from people from the mainland, and those officers are usually paid a premium to make sure they remain loyal to the Shogun. Regional troops, on the other hand, still follow old Islander custom of being assigned to a single ship captain and are usually more loyal to him then to any other authority, which means a decentralized military command which allows a lot of flexibility but which undermines central authority and orderly deployment. Typical troops in the region favor swords and axes over any other weapons, with the katana and wakizashi being typical weapons carried by the former pirates. Masakari and ono are used by boarding crew to cut ropes and damage ships, and are often carried as a backup weapon. Ashigaru make up the bulk of a ship crew still, but most of them are armed with masakari and kama to support their samurai brethren. Samurai and ashigaru on ships are fairly close, due to the fact they spend a lot of time on the same ship, and promotions from peasant to warrior caste while at sea are common. Almost everyone on board of a ship, samurai and Ashigaru alike, is also issued a bow, with a portion of the arrows being doused in oil to make easy to use fire arrows. Wearing armor while on a ship is usually considered dangerous, but when engaging an enemy ship, most of the troop still wear various forms of light armor, many being modified to be easy to take off in case you would fall in the water. Population The pirate past of the Crystal Isle did leave a lasting stain on the region, as many of the more rebellious youth build or steal a ship and strike out in search of riches and glory. The forests on the island are filled with wolves, cougars and bears, usually of smaller size then those you can meet on the mainland, but there are also a few breed of vicious carnivorous land birds that hide in the forest. The seas around the island are calm compared to the high ocean, but some smaller sharks and sea reptiles do inhabit the coast, so people falling overboard might have some problems getting back at times. Sometimes some of the larger sea residents might show up near the shore, especially during mating season, and various challenges always end up popping up at those times for reckless (and especially stupid) fishermen and sailors. The Chivalrous Organizations were not a part of the Islander community in the past, but in recent years, they have grown very strong in the region by building ties with less scrupulous captains and those who still commit acts of piracy. While they use their legitimacy to move legal goods around and provide protection to the cargo with their own men, the ease with which one can smuggle goods on the sea between the north and the south makes it popular with coastal organizations. The Organizations also have infiltrated many of the ports and docks, where a few tattooed men dictate their rules to those around, and they have begun providing safe haven for pirates and their likes. Economic activities: Trade, trade and more trade Various trade rights were approved by the Bureaucracy for different captains over the years, opening trade routes with the Kin Yong Pu nation in the north, the archipelago and other southern, more exotic nations. While sea travel is still extensively dangerous, advances in shipbuilding and weaponry renders some of the naval threats far less scary. The imperial expansion in the archipelago is based completely on this endeavor, and rumor has it that even bigger expeditions are planned for a later date, in hope of finding a naval trade route with the Holy Kingdom. Culture of the Island Poetry on the island is divided into two great categories: typical poem like you would expect from the great courts of the world, usually using the theme of the sea or separation, and sea songs, usually written by captains and their crews on their trips. Those songs often speak of treasure, traitors, mutineers and the fate of those who do not follow the natural order of things, along with talking about alcohol, sex and disregard for established authority. Those songs are rarely sung in good company, but as a guilty pleasure, many members of the higher nobility enter shady izakaya to hear crewmen sing them while mulling their wine. Another odd form of word art in the region are the insult contests various captains get into with one another, always trying to one-up each other with the most colorful image. While these challenges can seem incredibly rude and would more than likely lead to a duel anywhere else in the Empire, on the Island, it is always a tongue in cheek affair and even after the most atrocious insult; the two captains can be drinking for the rest of the evening together, swapping stories of their travel. Sake and wine is relatively expensive on the island and reserved for special occasions, but with the fruit groves on the island, a variety of schnapps are produced every year, a popular alternative for the locals and a regular export of the Chivalrous Organizations. Most meals include some form of fish, and the tarigani love of uncooked fish is even more prevalent on the island, but stir-fried shrimps, lobsters, sea scorpion and shellfish, with a lot of spices is also a culinary classic. Travel cookies, made of oat and dried fruits, are also a common sight on the island, where they are prepared for the longer trips. Category:Imperial Province Category:Crystal Isle